Order Up! A Plate of Truth With A Side of Bad Ass

If you read this blog long enough or follow us on social media, you will notice a trend, we’re huge fans of Dr. Brene Brown. Frankly, we can’t get enough of her “badassery” {we can’t take credit for this amazing word, it’s all hers and we love it!} And after spending a few months reading as many of her books as possible, I personally knew I wanted to share what her research and beautifully articulated guidance meant to me, but also, what it could mean to you as well. So, here are two quotes I read often.

“When we make the decision to dare greatly, we sign up to get our asses kicked.” “We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, we cannot have both, not at the same time.” ~Brene Brown

Whoa. My head almost popped off my shoulders when I read this because, at the time, I had not yet recovered from getting my ass kicked. Oh yeah, really kicked, in fact, still very sore from the kick. It was as if the Universe was speaking to me at that very moment in time saying, “girl, you got your ass kicked but, hey, you dared to try”. I’ll be honest, after reading Brene Brown’s words, my soul, and my ego were still so bruised that I couldn’t help but cry like I had just watched an ASPCA commercial with Sarah McLaughlin singing, “in the arms of an angel”. And trust me when I say this, I am not one of those people who look pretty crying. I was on a flight at the time (which was packed to the brim with people and luggage) and I chose, of all days to go with the “self-help” book instead of the “fiction” book, both of which were in my carry on bag. As I struggled to find a tissue or some sort of clean, mildly soft clothing in my bag to wipe my face and keep my eye makeup from melting off, I realized that I’d rather be the kind of woman who chose courage. I didn’t want to play it safe all the time and I never have. Of course, that is why I’ve been face down in the dirt before and will probably be there again at some point. Shit, this hurts, I thought. But I want every moment of my life to count and when you have that burning desire inside, it’s next to impossible to choose comfort over courage. I want the comfort, I do, but only when I know I’ve pushed myself to the point where I have exhausted all of my potential and purpose for this life.

Dr. Brown takes it further when she states, “if we can learn to “own” our stories of struggle, we can write our own brave endings. When we own our stories we avoid being trapped as characters in stories someone else is telling.” Yikes! so much truth here! This was a light bulb moment for me and again I began to tear up on my flight. However, at this point, the cute little guy sitting between me and his mother had a puzzled stare directed right at my face, so I decided to throw a little smile his way and pull myself together before I scared the poor child. I’m sure my black raccoon eyes and bright red nose didn’t help but he cracked a shy smile back at me with a cute wrinkled nose as if to say, I got ya, no worries.

Suffice it to say these passages were exactly what I needed to read, maybe not an optimal read for a business trip, but never-the-less timely for my life. And while I am certain the Universe is consistently conspiring to help me be a success, I’ve found a deeper meaning to life and growth amidst all the discomfort. There’s a real beauty in our truth and it’s important for us to recognize this beauty because when we can own our truth and our stories, we can fall down, get back up, recognize that it hurt like hell and move forward with more wisdom and grace. That, my friends, is being a Bad Ass.

“People who wade deep into their stories and tell their truths are the real Bad Assses.” ~Brene Brown